


In The End, It Was You

by BlueArianWolf



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Angst and Feels, Angst and Humor, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Depression, Gay Keith (Voltron), Heavy Angst, Humor, Hurt Keith (Voltron), Inspired by Music, Keith (Voltron) Angst, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Angst, M/M, Pining Keith (Voltron), References to Depression, References to Suicide, Romance, Songfic, Triggers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-06-14
Updated: 2018-09-13
Packaged: 2019-05-19 11:34:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 9,798
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14873021
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueArianWolf/pseuds/BlueArianWolf
Summary: Lance is always getting on Keith's nerves causing the two to fight constantly, but when Shiro has decided he's had enough of their bickering, he does something to get the two to bond a little better. By doing this, he unknowingly sets something in motion that neither Lance or Keith were prepared for. Can this be the start of something good? Or will this bonding moment lead to ruin?





	1. Cooler Than Me

**Author's Note:**

> Hello all! Please be warned that I have chosen not to use Archive Warnings to keep from potentially spoiling the story plot. If you are easily triggered or do not like extremely heavy angst, then this story is not for you! You have been officially warned!
> 
> There will be a note at the beginning of each chapter to warn you if there will be angst and whether it may contain something that could be triggering, so please read the notes!
> 
> Also, please be aware that this story is not fully written and will be ongoing. I do have a full time job so updates may be slow, like a chapter a month or something. Sorry guys.
> 
> Oh, and very importantly, this is a songfic. Each chapter is named and inspired by a different song. I will let you know who the song is by in the beginning notes of each chapter.
> 
> All this being said, I really hope you enjoy the story!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"Personally, I blame you."** Came Lance's voice. He could hear the other boy shifting around the room.
> 
>  **"How can it be my fault?"** Keith's voice was high and accusing as he fumbled around to try and find a wall. He couldn't believe he was trying to pin all this on him.
> 
> **"Because otherwise it would be my fault. And that can't be right."**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be aware as a warning that there is the mention of rape in this chapter in a joking manner. It is very brief, but if that is something you are uncomfortable with, it may be best not to read.
> 
> This chapter is inspired by the song Cooler Than Me by Mike Posner.

Keith sighed as he made his way across the red dirt covered ground of the latest planet they were on. It honestly made him feel like he was back in the desert on Earth. Except there was an actual village here instead of a shack in the middle of nowhere. There were no citizens to save this time, which they were all thankful for. It was just a routine check-in to meet with the planets inhabitants to further spread the word of Voltron.

They had barely been on the planet for ten minutes before a certain blue Paladin disappeared. _'One guess as to where he could possibly be.'_ Keith thought with a sigh. Because who was the one tasked with the privilege of retrieving said Paladin now that it was time to leave this planet? Keith's eye twitched out of sheer annoyance. Lance was the biggest pain in the ass and he was getting real tired of being his wrangler.

It didn't take long for Keith to hunt him down. No, Lance made that part easy. He was surrounded by a group of women, or Keith assumed they were of the female gender anyways. It was sometimes hard to tell the gender of some species, or if they even had a gender at all. The inhabitants of this planet were semi-human like, tall and dark-skinned. They were all pretty feminine-looking to him, with soft faces and curvy bodies. He could see the attraction Lance, or any guy really, would have to them.

Even from a distance, Keith could tell Lance was shamelessly flirting with them, not that he ever got very far. Obviously even aliens could tell Lance was a complete mess that they didn't want to deal with. Still, everyone was always fascinated by the Paladins of Voltron, so they were more than happy to listen to him until they eventually tired of his terrible flirting and even worse jokes. Honestly, Keith couldn't believe anyone could listen to Lance for as long as they do. He could barely handle the guy for thirty seconds.

As Keith got closer, he noted the way Lance was leaned up against one of the shop walls, his hands moving animatedly as they always did when he spoke excitedly about something. On anyone else, it would have been really cute to watch. The girls all seemed to be listening intently, but the smiles on their faces held polite interest at best. Keith rolled his eyes at this and without so much as a word to the other boy, he strolled up and plucked Lance by the back of his collar and started to drag him off. **"You're welcome."** He called back casually to the girls with a slight wave of his hand. He figured he had just saved them all an awkward time of trying to tell Lance that they had to leave.

 **"Oi, what the hell man?"** Lance flailed in his grasp, trying to get loose. **"Can't you see I'm in the middle of something?!"**

Keith snorted as he dropped hold of Lance's collar. **"Yeah, I saw. You're a real Casanova."**

 **"I don't think I like the tone of your voice."** Lance said, narrowing his eyes in suspicion.

 **"Listen, I've heard your flirting and trust me, you weren't gonna get anywhere."** Keith glanced back to where they had just left the circle of ladies who had already disappeared on there way, just as he had expected. **"Besides, you were boring them to death. Someone had to save them. I did them a favor."**

Lance gasped, placing a hand to his chest in a dramatic show of hurt pride. **"Rude! I will have you know that the ladies love me."** He said, walking up to Keith and jabbing him in the chest with a finger. **"Don't be jealous just because you don't know how to talk to girls."**

Keith raised an eyebrow as he watched Lance walk away with his hands behind his head, clearly thinking he just got the best of Keith in someway with those words. But Keith just sighed before following after him, a little done with this stupid conversation. **"Lance, at no point in my life have I ever found it necessary to flirt with girls."**

Lance simply side-eyed him as he allowed Keith to walk passed him. He was quiet for a few moments before smirking. **"My name's Keith and I have social problems so I try to hide how awkward and bad at flirting I am by trying to be a badass with no feelings."**

The mocking voice caused Keith to sigh in irritation. It really wasn't even a good impression. And none of it was even remotely true. Well, the badass part might be true. He stopped and turned towards Lance with a glare. **"What are you, twelve?"**

Lance grinned in return. **"On a scale of one to ten, yes."**

Keith smacked the other Paladin upside the head before covering his own face with a hand, pinching the bridge of his nose. What did he ever do to deserve this? Why was the Universe punishing him?

 **"Ow! What the hell?!"** Lance exclaimed, rubbing the side of his head. **"That was a bit harsh."**

Keith gave him a side glare before dropping his hand back to his side and turning to continue back to the castle. He couldn't take much more of this.

Lance groaned as he followed after Keith. **"Now my head hurts."**

 **"That's your brain trying to comprehend it's own stupidity."** Keith replied with a bored drawl. He knew he shouldn't continue this banter, Shiro always told him not to let himself be provoked because it always ended in an argument between them, but it was just so hard not to do it.

 **"Excuse me?"** Came an exasperated reply. Apparently Keith was starting to hit a nerve. That wasn't going to end well. **"That's rich coming from a dropout."**

Keith had paused in his walking for just a split second before resuming his pace. Granted, it was taking every bit of self-control for him not to turn and deck the idiot behind him. No one knew the story behind why he had been kicked from the Garrison, but he had heard all the rumors and he knew what they had told the students. He knew Lance had no idea that the subject didn't sit well with him, but it didn't stop him from being pissed that he brought it up. He was grateful they were almost back to the castle. He could see it just up ahead. He needed to get away from this loudmouth he had been so unkindly assigned to wrangle. Like it was his duty to somehow keep this idiot in check. This should be Hunk's job. At least Hunk actually liked him. And let's be honest, that guy had more patience than a Saint.

As the neared, a voice caused Keith to look up. **"Oh good, you guys are finally back."** Allura was smiling at the both of them, although it seemed somewhat forced. **"We can get ready to head out now."** With that, she turned and headed back into the ship. And Keith was forced to now look at Shiro who had been standing silently next to her.

He had that 'disappointed dad' look on his face, but at least it wasn't directed at Keith. **"Lance, you can't just wander off on your own on an unfamiliar planet. You knew we wouldn't be here long. We couldn't even contact you because you didn't have your communicator."**

 **"Right. Right, I know. Sorry. Won't happen again."** Lance apologized. Though it didn't sound all that sincere. It wasn't the first time Keith wondered why the Blue Paladin was suddenly disobeying simple orders like this, what the heck was his problem?

Keith could tell by Shiro's sigh that he also knew Lance wasn't really going to listen, and this turned his thoughts back onto being pissed off. **"Do us all a favor and actually follow that order for once. I'm tired of being the one to hunt your ass down and drag it back."** He said as he made his way up the ramp and into the castle. Finally, he could get away from him and get some much needed alone time.

Or not. Footsteps followed closely behind him. He'd recognize that annoying stomping anywhere. He took a deep breathe and let it out slowly as he prepared for whatever stupid thing was about to come out of Lance's mouth.

**"Ya know, maybe if you would just loosen up and live a little you wouldn't be such an emo prick all the time."**

Heaven help him, Keith was going to kill this boy. **"I wouldn't sound like such a prick if you weren't always doing something stupid. Idiot."**

**"Don't call me an idiot, you loser."**

**"Don't call me a loser, you idiot."**

 **"Alright, that's it."** During their little banter, they hadn't heard Shiro coming up quickly behind them. He had his lecture face on and both younger Paladins groaned. **"You guys are constantly bickering, fighting, and trying to one-up each other. It's driving all of us insane. We are a team, you guys need to start acting like your part of it."**

Keith sighed, but otherwise neither he nor Lance said a word. They both knew Shiro was right, but what he was suggesting was easier said than done. There was just no way the two of them were gonna be all buddy-buddy.

Shiro eyed the both of them in the few seconds of silence that occurred, then he smiled, which put Keith a little on edge. **"Come with me you two."** And with that, Shiro took off at a brisk walk into the castle.

Lance and Keith exchanged confused looks before quickly following after. Whatever this was about, it couldn't be good.

As they walked in silence, Keith began to realize he wasn't sure at all where they were going. He didn't recognize this hall. He glanced over at Lance, but the taller boy seemed just as lost as he was.

Just when Keith was about to ask about their destination, Shiro suddenly came to a hault and turned towards them with a smile. It was extremely unnerving and Keith didn't like it one bit.

 **"So, here we are."** Shiro said, reaching an arm out and hitting a button on the wall that caused the door next to him to slide open. Keith hadn't even noticed it until that moment. This was all unfamiliar territory to him. **"Allura said this might come in handy at some point. Go ahead."** Shiro continued, ushering them to go inside.

They both hesitated before stepping towards the room. It was dark and difficult to tell how big the room was and what was held inside. Keith stepped in without further question, doing his best to trust Shiro's judgement. Lance on the other hand, turned back towards Shiro with a confused expression. **"Why is it da-"** His question was cut off as Shiro shoved him in, the door whisking closed behind him. **"Awesome."** Lance said, sarcastically.

Everything was pitch black. Keith couldn't even make out his own hands in front of his face. What the heck was this supposed to even solve?

 **"I'll be back for you guys later. I expect you to at least act civilly towards each other by the time I let you out."** Shiro called through the door. His footsteps could just barely be heard as he walked away.

 **"Personally, I blame you."** Came Lance's voice. He could hear the other boy shifting around the room.

 **"How can it be my fault?"** Keith's voice was high and accusing as he fumbled around to try and find a wall. He couldn't believe he was trying to pin all this on him.

**"Because otherwise it would be my fault. And that can't be right."**

Keith snorted as he finally made contact with a wall. Was this kid for real? His ego just keeps getting bigger and bigger. **"Just shut up and try to find a-"** But before he could finish the lights came on.

**"You were saying?"**

Keith looked over towards Lance who was staring back at him with a smirk, his fingers hovering over a switch. That smug, ego-centric, piece of shit. Keith glared at him, but chose not to reply as he took a look around the room, even more confused.

The room was just a bit bigger then their bedrooms, but the weirdest thing was that there was nothing in it. Why in the world would Shiro lock them in here? Was it just so that they had no choice but to communicate? But how was that supposed to help them get along? Every time they spoke to each other it just ended in a fight. I mean, they were already bickering and they hadn't even been in the room for two minutes.

**"This is stupid."**

And for once, Keith actually agreed with him. This was stupid. Really stupid. He sat down against one of the walls with a sigh. Maybe if they just didn't speak to each other, things would be okay. The silence was kind of nice anyways. Maybe Keith could just-

**"I'm bored."**

And the silence was gone. Keith rubbed his face with his hands, trying to stay calm. **"What exactly do you want me to do about it, Lance?"**

There was silence for a moment and Keith hoped the other boy had decided to just be quiet, but that hope was short lived. **"Okay, let's tell random secrets about each other."**

Keith's had shot up and he stared at Lance with wide eyes held with complete confusion. What the hell was he up to? **"I'm sorry, what?"**

**"I'll go first."** Lance replied, ignoring Keith. **"I hate you.**

Keith glared and then rolled his eyes. He didn't know what he was expecting. **"You are a complete idiot. Also, it's never been a secret that you hate me."** To be honest though, Keith was a little hurt to hear it actually stated. He never had anything against Lance initially, but it was hard not to become aggravated with someone who was always trying to out-do you and put you down, and also he was annoying dick-bag.

**"Do you have to do that?"**

Keith was brought back out of his thoughts to look up into Lance's face which seemed annoyed. How could he possibly be annoyed with him right now? He wasn't even doing anything! **"Do what?"**

Lance sighed, leaning back against the wall and sliding down to sit on the floor across from Keith. **"Call me an idiot. Or stupid."**

 **"Wait, what?"** Keith questioned, a little confused. They bantered back and forth constantly, all the time. Keith actually didn't mind it most of the time, Lance had started all the rivalry crap, Keith had just gone along for the ride. They occasionally hit a nerve with each other on certain things, but Keith never thought they really got to a point where they have actually taken things to far. _'Well, except just now when Lance said he hated me...'_

Lance stared down at his hands that he was using to play with the zipper on his jacket, looking a little uncomfortable at having started this whole conversation. **"Nothing, nevermind."**

But Keith wasn't about to let this go. This wasn't okay. **"Lance."** He said softly, hoping the other Paladin would look up at him, but Lance kept his eyes locked on his hands fiddling with his jacket. **"I don't actually think you're an idiot. I mean, not all the time anyways."** Keith continued, trying to explain himself. He was really bad at this kind of thing though. He didn't know how to comfort people, especially not someone he was usually fighting with. And Lance was still not looking up at him.

 **"Yeah. Yeah, I know. It's just..."** Lance started and then paused. His hands fell to his side as he closed his eyes and tilted his head back against the hall. **"Look, I know you don't mean it. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up."**

Keith stared at him for a few moments before looking away, contemplating what to say. This was way out of Keith's comfort zone and it made him very uncomfortable. **"Listen, I'll try to keep the idiot comments to myself, if that helps."** He finally said, looking back at Lance who was finally looking at him now.

 **"Thanks."** Lance replied quietly, holding his gaze on Keith who was starting to get to uncomfortable getting stared at until his gaze fell to his lap. Keith already felt awkward enough about this conversation and this was just making it worse. **"I don't actually hate you, just so you know."**

 **"Thanks."** Keith's reply was simple and just as quiet as Lance's had been, but inside he could feel a weight lifting he didn't even know was there. Had it really bothered him that much that he thought Lance hated him? Why did that matter so much? It was quiet for awhile after that, and the comfortable silence was causing Keith's eyes to lose focus and start to close. He didn't realize how tired he was until that moment. Stress apparently does that to a body. Before he knew it, his eyes were closed and he was starting to drown in darkness as sleep was pulling him in. He could feel his head start to tilt, but he didn't have the energy to do anything about it and his head hit the solid wall to hold him up anyways, so he just let it be. A few minutes of sleep couldn't hurt anything. Ugh, but why was it suddenly getting so hot in here? After a few moments longer when he was really starting to question the sudden warmth in the room, he forced his eyes open to see if Lance felt the change in temperature as well. Only, Lance wasn't sitting across from him anymore. In a panic, Keith sat up straight, wondering where the other Paladin had strayed to. 

**"Sorry, I didn't mean to freak you out."** Came Lance's voice next to him. Next to him was somewhat of an understatement, he practically spoke in Keith's ear by how close he was and it caused him to jump slightly in surprise. As Keith stared at him in silent shock, Lance rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. **"You were falling asleep and it looked like you were going to fall over, so I just wanted to, ya know, help."**

Keith didn't really know what to say to that, but he could feel his face had a tinge of warmth to it and he couldn't figure out why. He was uncomfortable at the proximity, but at the same time didn't know how to move away. Could he move away? Would that be okay? Would that be rude? Did it matter if it was rude? Why was this happening?!

 **"I'm not gonna bite you, geeze."** Lance joked, seeming to notice Keith was struggling with the situation.

Keith felt his face heat up even more at his, but managed to give Lance an annoyed look and an eye roll, trying to recover from whatever it was that was happening. **"You sure about that? I'm pretty sure all the girls you flirt with think you're an animal."**

It was an insult. Correction, it was intended as a friendly insult, if there was such a thing. Lance seemed to notice that it was only friendly banter, flashing a grin at Keith. **"Do you want me to then?"**

Keith was sure Lance was expecting some kind of witty comeback from him, some kind of sarcastic remark. Anything really. And Keith wanted desperately to follow through with something like that, but he was having difficulty forming coherent thoughts at the moment for some reason. He could feel his face burning as well which just made matters worse. He had to think of something. _'A reply, I need to say something. Think simple. Just say, uh, yeah right. That will work, yeah.'_

**"Uh, Keith? I was just ki-"**

**"Yeah."** The sound of Lance's voice had caused Keith to panic even more and he said the last thing he had been thinking. _'Abort! Abort! Oh Quiznak.'_ **"Yeah, as in, yeah right. Not like yeah as in I want you to bite me cause why would I want that."** Keith spoke faster than he intended to, still in a mild panic.

Keith winced slightly in embarrassment as Lance started to laugh. He didn't think this situation could get any worse. But oh how wrong he was. Lance put an arm around his shoulders, trying to contain his laughter, and the renewed proximity was quite alarming to Keith who was trying to lean away. **"Dude, if you wanted to kiss me so badly, why didn't you just say so?"**

If Keith thought his face felt hot before, it was nothing compared to the intensity of the fire he felt right now. **"What?!"**

 **"I mean, if you really wanted to try me out, you seriously could have just asked man."** Lance replied with a smirk.

 _'He thinks this is funny. This is just one big joke to him.'_ Keith thought, angrily. Not that he wanted to kiss Lance or anything, but he didn't want to be part of this stupid game either. What kind of hell room did Shiro lock him in? Regardless, Keith had had enough. He stood abruptly, glaring down at Lance, before starting to walk away. Not that he could go far.

 **"Oh come on, Keith. Don't be like that."** Lance reached out, grabbing the other boys arm, much to Keith's growing annoyance. Keith tried to pull out of his grasp, but Lance gave a quick jerk causing Keith to fall backwards into Lance's lap.

 **"Lance!"** Keith shrieked, struggling to get back up. Lance, however, had wrapped his arms around Keith's waist and wasn't letting go.

 **"Calm down, dude."** Lance laughed. He seemed to be enjoying himself a little too much at Keith's expense. **"I'm not going to rape you, geeze. Quit thrashing around you freak. I promise I won't do anything against your will."**

Keith stopped his movements, not that he trusted Lance in the least, but all the moving wasn't getting him anywhere and was just tiring him out. **"Lance, you are already doing something against my will."**

Lance tilted his head to the side, seemingly pondering what Keith had said for a moment, before just smiling and giving him a shrug. The action was kind of cute, Keith admitted to himself, but he still wasn't happy with this situation. **"You're not very good at this whole flirty, playful thing, are you?"** He asked, laying his chin on Keith's shoulder.

Keith cringed, crossing his arms over his chest and looking down at the ground. It's not that he was bad at it, he just wasn't good at interacting with people in a playful, flirty manner. Not that he wanted it to be anything like that, this was just Lance being Lance, but it was still awkward as hell and very unwanted on Keith's part. Also, he didn't appreciate being teased and embarrassed. It was always fun and games to Lance, but to Keith, this kind of thing made him very uncomfortable because he didn't think it should be something treated so lightly. Lance may be a player, but Keith was a romantic, despite what anyone might think about him. **"You know how it really bothers you that people call you an idiot?"** Keith asked, sighing. **"Well, this really bothers me, Lance. A lot."**

Lance didn't let go, or even move, much to Keith's displeasure. He could feel Lance's slow and even breathe tickling the skin on his neck, and it was really not helping Keith calm down at all. It was a few minutes before he finally replied, but it wasn't the response Keith was expecting. **"Is it because I'm a guy?"**

**"What?"**

**"The reason it bothers you so much. Is it because I'm a guy?"** Lance asked, the sound of his voice in Keith's ear causing him to shiver.

It took Keith a few moments to respond as he was trying to think and simultaneously try to slow his heart-rate and breathing. **"You being a guy is not the issue, I really don't mind that at all. I just don't appreciate being teased like this. It's not funny, Lance."** Keith hoped this response would make the other boy realize it was time to stop messing with him and let go, but much to his surprise, it caused the complete opposite to happen.

Lance's hold on Keith's waist tightened as he buried his face in Keith's hair. This boy was getting way to comfortable. What the hell was even going on right now? Why wouldn't he just leave Keith alone?

**"Lance, I told you it's not fu-"**

**"I know it's not."** Lance mumbled softly, his face still hidden in Keith's hair. **"I know. I'm sorry. Can we please just stay like this for awhile?"**

Keith didn't know how to respond to that. Lance's voice was so soft, and it felt sad. It made Keith want to turn and hold him in his arms, to ask what was wrong. But that wasn't something Keith could bring himself to do. He did, however, relax somewhat into Lance's grasp which the other boy seemed to enjoy. Keith wasn't really sure what this was all about, but he didn't feel right denying Lance something like this when it sounded like he really needed it. Even if it did cause Keith quite a bit of mental discomfort. He was relieved that Lance wasn't taking advantage of this moment to do more than just hold Keith against him. He wasn't sure how much more intimacy than this he could really handle. Although, the more time that went by, the more relaxed Keith started to become. He hadn't heard a single word from Lance in quite some time, and the quiet warmth he was embraced in was slowly causing Keith to fall asleep again. For some reason, Keith felt like he really didn't want to let himself fall asleep right now, but his eyes were getting too heavy, and before he knew it, he was out.

The sound of voices is what ended up waking Keith. The voices were soft, as if they were whispering, which he soon realized was exactly what they were doing. He started to open his eyes and winced at the brightness of the room, rubbing at his eyes as he allowed his consciousness to fully awaken.

**"Sorry, Keith, we didn't mean to wake you."**

_'Shiro?'_ Keith thought to himself, groggily. He looked up into the face of the older Paladin, suddenly realizing he was no longer sitting up in Lance's lap. At first, his brain was filled with relief at this notion, until it registered the fact that his head was resting in someone's lap, and he needed only one guess as to who's. As he looked up into Lance's face, Keith realized the other boy no longer had his hands on him, nor was he looking at Keith at all. In fact, he seemed irritated. Keith sat up slowly, running his hands through his hair as he did. **"No, it's fine. How long have we been in here?"**

 **"About an hour or so."** Shiro answered, giving Keith a concerned smile. **"I'm glad to see you guys didn't kill each other."**

 **"Nope, sure didn't."** Lance said irritably, standing up. Both Shiro and Keith frowned at him, but Lance seemed to ignore this. **"If your little experiment is over now, I'm gonna go."** He didn't wait for a reply, before walking out of the room.

Keith sighed as he stood. He wasn't sure what that was all about, but he was glad that this whole ordeal was finally over. **"I'm gonna go, too."**

Shiro nodded and then put a hand on Keith's shoulder. **"Hey, listen. If you need to talk about anything, just know that I'm here."**

He was staring at Keith with that concerned expression again and it made him a little uncomfortable. **"Sure, thanks."** Keith appreciated the sentiment, but he was pretty sure he would be fine. He didn't have anything that needed discussing. If anything, Lance seemed like the one that had issues. What the heck was he so irritated about? Had Shiro said something to him before Keith had woken up? Well, whatever. It wasn't Keith's problem anyways. The day was over and he was going to bed before anything else could possibly happen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed! I'm in the midst of writing chapter 2, but with my work schedule it'll be a bit before I finish it.
> 
> As always, I love constructive criticism so please let me know your thoughts. And if course, let me know if you find spelling or grammar errors haha. I do my best, but I'm only human.


	2. I'm Falling For You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **"Yeah, I gotta go with Keith on this one, man. I just can't see that happening."** Hunk agreed, nodding his head.
> 
> **"Hey! As my best friend you should have my back, even if I'm wrong!"**
> 
> Keith grinned at that. **"So you admit you're wrong about winning in a fight against me."**
> 
> **"That. What? No. That is not what I meant!"**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What's up guys?! Sorry for the long wait for this chapter!
> 
> This chapter is mostly fluffy with a lot of Keith trying to figure himself out, so nothing crazy to watch out for. ;)
> 
> This chapter was inspired by the song I'm Falling For You by Chester See.

Keith didn't have any complaints about the rest of that night. In fact, it was the quietest night he'd had in weeks, and he had slept really well. It had been a great ending to an otherwise overly hectic and aggravating day.

So how did this morning end up so terribly awkward?

It had started normal enough. Keith awoke early that morning as he usually did. He prepared for the day. Did some meditating he had learned from Shiro. Did his morning exercises. And then he left his room to make for the kitchen to have breakfast with everyone, just like always. Except this morning had a little something extra planned for him, and Keith was not prepared for the spiral of events that would unleash from this one little incident.

Keith was walking down the hall from his room, a little lost in thought from yesterday's events. All the Paladins had their own routine for the morning and usually it was unlikely for him to run into anyone at this hour, so it really took him off guard when he did indeed run into someone. Literally. He had collided with a body, hard, and felt himself falling backwards. But the falling sensation was brief and was replaced with the feeling of an arm wrapped around his back and a hand grasping his arm.

His initial reaction was to apologize for not watching where he was going, but the words were stuck on his tongue as he stared up into very confused ocean blue eyes. Clearly neither of them were expecting to run into the other, figuratively or otherwise.

Lance was the first to break the silence between them. **"Keith."**

 **"Y..yeah?"** Keith asked, shaking himself out of the shock and pulling himself out of Lance's grasp.

 **"I think you just fell for me."** Lance replied with a flirtatious smirk.

Keith sighed and rolled his eyes. Leave it to Lance to turn this already awkward situation even more awkward. **"I would say it's too early for your bullshit, but honestly, it's never a good time for your bullshit."**

 **"Ouch. Someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."** Lance replied, his smirk not faltering. Apparently Keith's words didn't phase him in the least. And he was being irritatingly over-happy this early in the morning.

In fact, Lance was in an awfully good mood compared to how he was when Keith had last seen him. He wondered why that was. _'No. No, I don't want to know. If I get into it with him, it's gonna turn into a whole thing and then I'll have deeply regretted my decision. Just leave it.'_ And so he did. Instead, he opted to ignore Lance's comment and headed off to the kitchen. He needed food in him stat. It was hard enough dealing with Lance, but dealing with him on an empty stomach was just unnecessary torture.

Lance's footsteps could be heard following close behind him, but at least his mouth stayed shut. Keith could bare with the company as long as he didn't have to hear any of the crap that was always falling out of Lance's constantly moving mouth.

**"So, did you actually sleep alright?"**

Of course. Almost to the kitchen and the silence just couldn't last. But the question seemed sincere enough. Keith glanced back, raising an eyebrow. Why did he want to know anyways?

 **"I'm just asking."** Lance said, raising his hands in mock defense. **"I mean, you couldn't have slept that well if you're in such a pissy mood."**

Keith groaned as he came to a halt, turning to glare at Lance. He should have known better. **"I actually slept really well, not that you actually care."**

**"Why are you such a grouch then?"**

**"You, Lance! You make me this way!"** Keith hadn't meant to yell it. He hadn't actually meant to say it at all. It just kind of spilled out. It felt really good to say though. Until he saw the look of guilt come over Lance's face. **"Lance, I-"**

But Lance held up a hand to quiet him. **"It's okay. I get it. I know I get on your nerves. On a lot of peoples nerves."** He said quietly, letting out a soft sigh. **"I'm sorry."**

Keith wasn't really sure what to say to that. This wasn't his area of expertise. Did he comfort him? Did he accept the apology? Was he supposed to agree with him? Lie to him? What did people do in these situations?!

Luckily Lance must have seen the inner turmoil Keith was having with himself because he smiled and patted Keith's shoulder. **"It's okay Samurai, don't hurt yourself."** Then he gestured towards the kitchen door. **"Let's go get some food, yeah?"**

And for once, Keith actually agreed with him. He turned to walk with Lance towards the kitchen, wondering who else was up and about. Speaking of which, why was Lance awake this early? Was it even early? Had Keith slept longer than he thought? And now he was walking to breakfast together with Lance in a somewhat friendly fashion. What warped reality was this?

Lance seemed to notice Keith was having another battle with himself because he began to pick up random conversation again. **"I hope Hunk is awake. I'm really hoping to have some of those things he made that tasted like pancakes. I am dying for some pancakes right now."**

Keith smiled and nodded in agreement. **"I can't argue with that. Hunk is a master in the kitchen."**

 **"Right?! I swear he could make space rocks taste delicious."** He replied excitedly, grinning widely.

For some reason that made Keith smile more, to see Lance talking so happily about something. He wasn't really sure why. Usually the other boy's animated talking got on his nerves, but maybe that was only because it usually involved some girl or another. There was only so much of that kind of talk one person could take. **"Somehow I actually believe that."** Keith said with a laugh as they entered through the doors to the kitchen.

 **"I don't think I've ever witnessed the two of you laughing with each other unless it's at the expense of the other."** Came Hunk's cheerful voice from behind the counter. **"Whatever Shiro made you guys go through must have worked, huh?"**

Keith's smile instantly faded as he glanced between Lance and Hunk with uncertainty. He hadn't really thought about what would happen if the other Paladin's started asking about what happened in the room and he definitely wasn't sure what he was supposed to tell them.

Lance didn't seem to be having the same problem, however. He still had a wide grin on his face as he made his way over to see what Hunk was whipping up. **"Oh yeah, sure. We battled it out until Keith could no longer deny the fact that I'm the better fighter."**

Hunk raised an eyebrow in disbelief as Keith snorted.

 **"Fat chance of that happening."** Keith said as he walked up beside him, leaning over the counter to look at what was in the bowl Hunk was stirring. It was some kind of grayish green batter, and whatever it was didn't look particularly appetizing. But he believed in Hunk's abilities so he wasn't going to question it just yet.

 **"Yeah, I gotta go with Keith on this one, man. I just can't see that happening."** Hunk agreed, nodding his head.

**"Hey! As my best friend you should have my back, even if I'm wrong!"**

Keith grinned at that. **"So you admit you're wrong about winning in a fight against me."**

 **"That. What? No. That is not what I meant!"** Lance stumbled over his words before finally crossing his arms in defeat and sitting at the table as the other two chuckled.

 **"But really, it's nice to see you guys getting along finally."** Hunk said with a smile, pouring the batter into some kind of contraption that either he or Pidge, or maybe both, had built at some point.

 **"Yeah, I guess he isn't so bad all the time."** Lance said from his chair at the table. Keith glanced back at him with a raised brow, seeing that Lance was now leaned back in the chair with his legs stretched out and his arms behind his head, looking off into the distance as if he were pondering deeply.

 **"I'm not that bad? Have you met you?"** Keith replied, arms now crossed as he leaned back against the counter.

**"I take deep offense to that." **Lance pouted.** "I think I would be best friends with me."**

Keith shook his head, but smiled nonetheless. It wasn't so bad hanging out with Lance he guessed. If he was being honest, maybe he would have enjoyed his company more in the beginning had their initial meeting not gone so wrong. Well, nothing he could do about the past. Instead, he turned back to Hunk, his curiosity about the food finally getting the better of him. **"Alright, so I have to know, what the heck are you making?"**

 **"I'm glad you asked!"** Hunk exclaimed, clearly excited to tell Keith all about it. **"I know my space pancakes were a huge hit and I wanted to try something a little different, so Pidge helped me put this thing together."** He said, slapping the machine lightly with his hand. **"And the end result should hopefully be something akin to waffles. It hasn't been tested yet, so I'm really glad you guys are here!"**

 **"Uh..yeah...lucky us."** Keith replied, unsure if he really wanted to be a test subject for this or not.

 **"Oh man! I'm so down for this!"** Lance said, having jumped up out of his chair the moment Hunk mentioned waffles and had come bounding over to stand next to Keith once more. **"If they work out, we need to find space chocolate chips and some cosmic syrup!"**

Keith shook his head with a grin as Lance and Hunk continued to discuss the different toppings for waffles. He admired there ability to always be able to talk about such positive things, even if they were trivial. Keith's mindset was very much on the mission at hand at all times, but it was stressful, and he was really enjoying just having some downtime. Maybe Lance's way of doing things wasn't so bad, not that he would ever tell him that.

 **"What about you, Keith?"** Lance asked with a grin.

Keith's mind snapped back to the present conversation. **"Hm? What?"** He asked, realizing both Paladins were staring at him expectantly. Apparently, he was supposed to be a part of this conversation.

 **"What's your favorite topping, dude? For waffles."** Lance repeated.

Keith blinked, unsure how to respond. **"Oh, uh, I don't really know. I've never had anything on them except syrup."**

 **"What?!"** Lance and Hunk yelled questioningly at the same time, both completely taken back by this news.

 **"Oh man, you have been missing out. Let me tell you. There are so many topping choices!"** Hunk said, being to ramble off a list. **"Whipped cream, chocolate sauce, strawberries, blueberries. I mean any kind of fruit really. Peanuts. Cashews. Just nuts in general man. And that's just the beginning!"**

 **"When we get back to Earth we are going to have to introduce you to a whole new world of waffles, man. You have been totally deprived."** Lance said with a grin, clapping him on the shoulder.

Keith's cheeks turned slightly pink at the contact, and he was a little at a loss for what to say in reply. Lance had basically just invited him to hang out when they were back on Earth. This was not something he ever expected. **"Okay, sure. Thanks. It sounds like fun."**

 **"What sounds like fun?"** Came Pidge's voice. In the commotion they hadn't even heard the door open when she entered.

 **"Keith has never had toppings on his waffles! So we're gonna treat him to a mind-blowing experience when we get back to Earth."** Lance replied, still grinning.

 **"Mind-blowing, eh?"** Pidge said with a wicked grin as she walked behind the counter towards the fridge. **"Sounds intense. Are you sure Keith is ready for that?"**

 **"Who wouldn't be ready for topping covered waffles?"** Lance asked, Pidge's implications going right over his head. Over everyone's heads in fact.

Pidge just rolled her eyes as she pulled on the handle to fridge, only it wouldn't open. **"Damn you!"** She yelled, pulling with both hands now. **"Let me inside of you! Let me inside!"**

Suddenly the door finally opened, catching Pidge somewhat off guard. Luckily, Hunk was right behind her to catch her fall as he was the reason the door had opened in the first place she soon realized. **"Ok first of all, language. Second of all, you okay?"** Hunk said, steadying Pidge on her feet.

 **"First of all, you aren't my dad. Or Shiro for that matter. Second of all, yeah."** Pidge replied, shuffling around in the fridge for something before finally pulling out some kind of mechanical box. **"Why is this in here?"**

 **"Oh hey, I wondered where that went!"** Hunk said with a grin, taking it from Pidge. But upon grabbing it, the side piece split and broke off. **"Awww, it took me weeks to find the right part for this."**

 **"And what's the lesson here? Don't leave things in the fridge."** Pidge said, rolling her eyes and pulling a juice pouch out of the fridge before closing it.

Hunk pouted as he set the contraption aside to turn his attention back on making the space waffles. Keith smiled as he continued to watch the other three banter back and forth, wondering why he had never taken the opportunity to join them like this before. Had it always been this easy for him to just fit right in whenever he wanted? He wasn't sure.

The rest of the day went more or less the same. Every time he turned around, Lance seemed to be there. And rather than this irritating him as it usually would, he found himself being quite thankful for the company. He learned that having Lance around could actually be pretty fun. It was a weird feeling. He didn't often enjoy the company of others, he really preferred to be on his own. But today, today was different. He felt himself wanting to spend more time with the others. To feel like he was really a part of this team. Like they were actually a family like the others often claimed they were.

And as the day started to wined down and Keith went to the training deck to do some practice drills as he usually would to end his day, he found himself being accompanied by Lance. The other boy was oddly quiet and seemed to be lost in his own train of thought. Part of Keith wanted to question about it, but he left it be as he began to do warm ups, watching Lance curiously out of the corner of his eye. He thought the other boy had come to train with him, but Lance was currently pacing back and forth by the far wall.

 **"Are you gonna do that the whole time we're here?"** Keith questioned, giving Lance a worried look.

Lance stopped his pacing and looked over at Keith with surprise, as if he hadn't realized what he had been doing. And then suddenly his expression was lightened and he smiled, walking over to take a seat near Keith. **"Sorry, just thinking about something. Do you train every night?"**

Keith stared at him before a moment before answering, deciding to allow the weird behavior go for now. **"Yeah. I like to keep myself prepared and often I try to quicken my attacks and fix my stances if I find something else works better."** He said, stretching his left leg out in front of him, his right leg bent in. He stretched his forward, grabbing his left foot to stretch his body out. **"Plus, it helps me regain focus after hectic or stressful days so I can sleep better."**

Lance nodded thoughtfully, watching Keith as he switched from stretching one leg to the other. **"I like to listen to music."**

Keith paused in his movements, turning to look at Lance with a raised brow. **"What?"**

 **"I listen to music. To help me sleep."** Lance explained, bring his legs up to wrap his arms around his knees. **"It helps drown out everything. It..it helps make me feel like I'm still at home."**

Keith didn't really know what to say to that. He knew the other Paladin's missed their homes, their families and friends. Lance was especially vocal about how much he missed home. But Keith didn't feel what they did. He didn't have any attachments back home. The only family he had left was here. He couldn't sympathize. And he didn't know how to anyways. So he stayed quiet, finished his stretches, and got up to start the training exercise.

Keith took up his starting stance as the training drone dropped out from the hatch. And as he went through his normal motions, he could feel constant eyes on him. He risked a glance or two on occasion to find that Lance's eyes never left him. It was putting Keith somewhat on edge and he could feel heat slowly creeping up his neck and onto his face. This wasn't the first time he was being watched while training, but it felt different to him this time for some reason.

He glanced once more, this time losing his focus at the wrong moment and giving the gladiator drone a chance to land a strike that sent Keith flying backwards.

 **"End training mode!"** Lance called out, scrabbling to his feet and rushing to Keith's side. **"Keith! Hey man, you okay?"** He asked as he knelt beside him, visually checking him over for injuries.

 **"No."** Keith grumbled as he sat up, rubbing the back of his head where it had hit the ground.

 **"What's wrong? Are you bleeding? Do you have a concussion? Should I get Allura? Oh my ancients, do you need the healing pod?"** Lance was practically on the verge of panic at this point, and he had taken Keith's head in his hands, turning it this way and that to see if there were any injuries.

Keith grabbed Lance's hands, removing them from his face, laughing lightly. **"I'm fine, I'm fine."**

**"You said you weren't okay!"**

Keith shrugged. **"Well, my pride is a little hurt, I'm not gonna lie."**

Lance punched Keith's shoulder playfully. **"Jackass! I was worried!"**

 **"I didn't think you worried about me."** Keith teased as he went to try to stand, Lance giving him a hand up.

Lance blinked in surprise. **"Of course I do."**

Keith blinked back, suddenly feeling very awkward. **"O..oh."** He said, not really sure what to say to that.

There was a few seconds of very painful, awkward silence before Keith cleared his throat and took a step backwards. **"So uh, yeah, training's done. Guess I'll uh, go shower and head to bed."**

Lance smirked, adjusting his posture to stand on one leg, hip jutted out with his arms crossed over this chest. **"Are you uncomfortable with someone actually caring about you, Keith?"**

 **"What? No. Shiro cares about me."** Keith replied, somewhat offended.

 **"Yeah, but he's like, what, an older brother to you? He doesn't count."** Lance said, waving his hand slightly as if he was shooing the idea away. **"You weren't exactly the most popular kid at the Garrison so I can't imagine you had many friends let alone a girlfriend."** He teased.

Keith looked at the ground, rubbing his arm awkwardly. Lance wasn't wrong. But it wasn't a conversation he was willing to have, especially when it was at his own expense. **"Yeah, I guess. Listen, I'm gonna go."** He said, turning and heading out the doors, ignoring Lance as he called out his name. He knew Lance wasn't trying to be mean, but it still hurt.

He thought for a moment that Lance may chase him down like he often did because he always had to have the last word in anything, but thankfully it seemed like he was going to actually leave Keith be this time. Much to Keith's satisfaction he was able to make it through his shower with no interruption and by the time he made his way back to his room he was feeling much better. He even figured that he'd be okay with still having Lance hang around him come tomorrow as long as they continued to let their last conversation just die. Yeah, he could deal with that.

What he wasn't prepared for was to walk into his room and find Lance sitting on the edge of his bed. In fact, that was the last thing he was expecting to find and he stood frozen in the doorway, unsure of what the heck was going on.

Lance stood when he noticed Keith, and fidgeted a little as he spoke. **"Hey. Listen, I wanted to say I'm sorry."** He said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. **"I shouldn't have brought up the Garrison or your friends and girlfriend and stuff. I mean, I'm sure you don't want to think about that. Plus, it's not my place to talk about it. I just, I say things before I think about them sometimes."**

Keith continued to stand awkwardly in the doorway, not really sure what to say, and still a little shocked from the whole situation.

Keith's silence seemed to make Lance start feeling even more awkward because he started looking just about anywhere except at Keith. **"Yeah, so. Anyways, I'm sorry. I'm just, uh, I'm gonna go to my own room now. Cause this was really stupid. Wow. Okay."** He said, moving to leave the room only to realize that Keith was still blocking his way. **"Uhh..ca-can I leave?"**

Keith stepped aside, allowing Lance to move past him. He wasn't really sure what had brought this all on, but he had just gotten a completely sincere apology from Lance. And he had just totally blown him off. It was then that it clicked that he was being a complete ass. He turned and exited his room into the hall. **"Lance!"**

Lance turned, eyebrow raised in curiosity.

**"Th-thank you."**

Lance gave him a half-smile. **"Yeah, sure."**

Keith fidgeted for a moment, looking away, before speaking again. **"And uh, I didn't have friends. Or a girlfriend."**

 **"It's the mullet. No bueno for the ladies."** Lance teased. **"Don't worry, we'll find you a girl that likes it."**

 **"Yeah, okay."** Keith lied, smiling. He wasn't sure why he did. He could just tell Lance that girls didn't interest him. But instead he just agreed, watching Lance walk off to his room. Keith turned to re-enter his own, running his hands through his hair. What the quiznak was happening with him? **"Fuck."**

Keith stood in front of his closed door for a few minutes, trying to get a handle on the situation, before turning and heading back out his door, making a beeline for Shiro's room. He needed guidance. This was all too confusing. Shiro's door swished open when he approached it, but there was no Shiro inside. Not that Keith was all that surprised, the older Paladin would often stay up pretty late either training, meditating, or walking the bridge. He knew he hadn't been in the training room with them, so he headed for the bridge to see if he was there.

He found Shiro on the bridge looking through the star maps. From the look on his face, Keith guessed he wasn't really looking for anything in particular, more like he was just running through the motions. Shiro had yet to notice he was there so Keith cleared his throat to alert him of his presence.

 **"Hey, Shiro?"** Keith asked, hesitantly, as the older Paladin turned to look at him, smiling. He was still really unsure about having this conversation, but he could really use someones opinion on this. And out of anyone on this ship, he figured Shiro would be the least likely to make a big deal out of it. He hoped. **"I wanna talk to you about something."**

Shiro gave him a questioning look, his smile dropping, before replying. **"You didn't go into my room did you?"**

Keith was momentarily thrown off by this response. It was suspicious and, honestly, pretty unusual behavior for Shiro. **"Uhhh, no..."**

Shiro eyed him for a moment before visibly relaxing, a soft smile returning to his face. **"Okay. What is it?"**

Keith was starting to really rethink talking about this, but now Shiro was looking at him expectantly. **"Ok. Well."** Keith paused. He hadn't really thought this through very well. He really had no idea how to go about saying this. **"Uh. Listen. Remember, uh, remember the other day, when you, uh, locked Lance and I in that room?"**

Shiro nodded and, after a moment of silence, gestured for Keith to continue.

Keith nodded absentmindedly, locking his hands behind his back, trying not to fidget. **"Right. Okay. Well, Lance and I shared a.. a bonding moment."**

 **"A bonding moment?"** Shiro repeated, raising an eyebrow curiously. Keith simply nodded in response, and when he didn't say anything, Shiro pressed further. **"Are you going to elaborate on that?"**

 **"Right. Yes. So, we talked and stuff. And ever since then he's just been..."** Keith said, looking everywhere except at Shiro. He paused for a moment, then took a deep breathe and just let it all out. **"Lance is being weird and like really nice, to me. And it's making me uncomfortable, but also I think I like it. Like, we're kind of getting along. I guess. And now it's like no matter where I go or what I'm doing, there he is! And he just..."** Keith stopped for a breath, having said all of that incredibly fast, and finally looked Shiro in the eyes. **"Lance makes me feel things."**

There was momentary silence as Shiro sat there staring at Keith, trying to take everything in. Keith shifted from one leg to the other while waiting for Shiro to finally say something. The older Paladin covered his mouth with his hand suddenly, very obviously trying not to let Keith see him smile.

 **"Please don't laugh at me."** Keith's voice was soft, and he suddenly felt incredibly insecure.

 **"I'm not laughing at you, Keith. I was just surprised."** Shiro replied, looking at Keith fondly. **"So, what kind of things?"**

**"Feelings."**

**"He makes you feel feelings?"** Shiro asked, trying even harder not to laugh.

Keith fidgeted a little, looking down. **"Yes."**

 **"That bitch."** At this point, Shiro was having a hard time controlling himself from laughing, although he was still taking Keith's feelings very seriously. He just couldn't contain himself with how hilarious this whole conversation was going. **"So, what do you want to do about it?"**

Keith's face flushed red. **"I..I want it to stop."**

Shiro's smile faltered and grew small. Keith had known he wouldn't like that response, but it was true. **"Keith, you can't just stop it. That's not how feelings work."**

 **"Shiro...I can't like him."** Keith replied, softly.

 **"Why? Because he can be obnoxious sometimes?"** Shiro asked, half-joking. **"Let's be honest here, Keith, you could literally be the better half of each other."**

Keith cocked his head to the side at this, staring at Shiro curiously. **"First of all, are you actually trying to encourage me to date that asshole? And secondly, what do you mean better half of each other?"**

 **"I thought you two have been getting along lately? Why is he suddenly an asshole again?"** Shiro asked with smirk. **"And let's face it Keith, you are the better half of him in that you can make him take things more seriously and keep him grounded. He's the better half of you because he can show you how to have fun and enjoy the little things."**

Keith sighed. **"He's been nice to me for like one whole day, Shiro. That doesn't make him not an asshole suddenly."** He said, starting to pace around the room, Shiro's eyes following him in amusement. **"And I can have fun without him. I'm fine without him. Better without him. Without anyone."**

 **"Keith, you know that's not true."** Shiro said, walking over to stop Keith's pacing and placing a hand on his shoulder. **"We're a team. A family. And maybe this is Lance finally trying to make friends with you. Why don't you give it a chance? You never know what might happen."**

Keith sighed again, eyes focused on the floor. **"I just don't know how to handle this, Shiro. This...I don't know if I can do this."**

Shiro smiled and pulled Keith in, embracing him tightly. **"You'll be fine. Nobody knows how to handle things like this in the beginning. Everything will work itself out. Just let it happen."**

Keith returned the embrace, but stayed silent, still unsure.

**"Okay?"**

Keith took a deep breathe and nodded. **"Okay."** He said, even though he was so far from okay right now. Still, if Shiro said things would be fine then he was going to believe him. Shiro was always there for him and he always gave Keith good advice. He never let him down. So he would trust him.

 **"Good."** Shiro replied, finally letting Keith go. **"Now, go get some sleep. See what tomorrow brings."** He said, gesturing to the door for Keith to head out.

Keith nodded in reply, turning to leave without another word. He was a little lost in the anxiety he was starting to feel. What _would_ tomorrow bring? He wasn't really sure if he wanted things to continue the way they were, or if he preferred things to go back to the way they were. Either path seemed to lead to irritating thoughts. So instead he focused on breathing exercises the rest of the way back to his room in order to clear his mind. By the time his head hit the pillow, he was able fall asleep fairly peacefully.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed! I promise I'll try not to let like 3 months pass between this chapter and the next this time haha.


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